Perceived Gaps in Oncologic Emergency Care for Patients with Cancer: A Qualitative Comparison of Emergency Medicine and Oncologist Physician Perspectives

dc.contributor.authorWattana, Monica K.
dc.contributor.authorDavenport, Moira
dc.contributor.authorBischof, Jason J.
dc.contributor.authorLindsay, Angela B.
dc.contributor.authorPettit, Nicholas R.
dc.contributor.authorMenendez, Jazmin R.
dc.contributor.authorHarper, Kelsey
dc.contributor.authorLipe, Demis N.
dc.contributor.authorQdaisat, Aiham
dc.contributor.departmentEmergency Medicine, School of Medicine
dc.date.accessioned2025-04-18T12:29:28Z
dc.date.available2025-04-18T12:29:28Z
dc.date.issued2025-02-27
dc.description.abstractObjective: Providing high-quality, safe, and consistent care for patients with cancer in the emergency department (ED) poses unique challenges. To better understand these challenges, we surveyed oncologists and emergency medicine (EM) physicians across five institutions to identify key areas for improvement in oncologic EM. Methods: In this multi-institutional, cross-sectional qualitative study, a semi-structured survey was administered to EM attending and resident physicians and medical and surgical oncologists across five institutions in 2023. We assessed the open-ended questionnaire responses using thematic analysis; codes were created and collated to generate initial themes. The themes were then reviewed according to specialty for coherence and non-repetition and finalized. Results: Of the 302 surveys accessed, 185 (61.3%) had complete responses. Three main domains of issues emerged: systems-based challenges, direct patient care-related issues, and knowledge gaps. The issues most frequently perceived by oncologist survey respondents were long delays in care (41%), variability in care (25%), and communication issues between the EM physician and oncologist (14%). The issues most frequently perceived by EM physician survey respondents were knowledge gaps in cancer therapeutics (40%) and in general oncologic emergencies (23%); physician comfort level (14%); the timing and/or location of initial discussions about goals of care (13%); and challenges with the follow-up process (12%). Conclusions: Incorporating an interdisciplinary approach to patient care in the ED, improved EM oncologic education, and the development of oncologic specialized EDs may enhance the quality, safety, and consistency of care for patients with cancer in the ED.
dc.eprint.versionFinal published version
dc.identifier.citationWattana MK, Davenport M, Bischof JJ, et al. Perceived Gaps in Oncologic Emergency Care for Patients with Cancer: A Qualitative Comparison of Emergency Medicine and Oncologist Physician Perspectives. Cancers (Basel). 2025;17(5):828. Published 2025 Feb 27. doi:10.3390/cancers17050828
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1805/47173
dc.language.isoen_US
dc.publisherMDPI
dc.relation.isversionof10.3390/cancers17050828
dc.relation.journalCancers
dc.rightsAttribution 4.0 Internationalen
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.sourcePMC
dc.subjectCancer
dc.subjectCare
dc.subjectEmergency
dc.subjectEmergency medicine
dc.subjectGaps
dc.subjectInterdisciplinary care
dc.subjectKnowledge
dc.subjectOncologist
dc.subjectOncology
dc.subjectSystem constraints
dc.titlePerceived Gaps in Oncologic Emergency Care for Patients with Cancer: A Qualitative Comparison of Emergency Medicine and Oncologist Physician Perspectives
dc.typeArticle
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